


Important Variables

by DarthLivion (DistantShenanigans)



Series: Variables [2]
Category: Ashlesha (Awaken the Stars series), Awaken the Stars Series - Jer Keene
Genre: First Meetings, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Meet the Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 08:45:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10272734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantShenanigans/pseuds/DarthLivion
Summary: After Xāwuṭh Bùi's son, Tua, is tended to during the night, Xāwuṭh worries over him. The morning after, Xāwuṭh introduces Tua to their family.





	

**Author's Note:**

> unedited/beta'd, so if there are mistakes, that's why
> 
>  **Edit as of 4/7/2017:** fixed a minor mistake, and switched a sentence around.

 

Tua Bùi had spent a lot of life hurt, but when Xāwuṭh met him, he liked to think the boy's life started to get better. He was fifteen, turning sixteen, born at the literal end of 2000. As cliché as it sounded, Tua was the light of Xāwuṭh's life, his pride and his joy, and he finally knew how his father felt when they were all kids, how honest he was when he said he was proud of them all.

Watching Tua sleeping on the cot in the living room with injuries was the worst, and Xāwuṭh wished he could throttle the little shits that hurt his son. He didn't look up when his father got up and headed to the kitchen, even as Kai strolled into the room, yawning but preparing to check over Tua.

“He's alright, you know.” Kai said, kneeling next to the cot and doing his check on the small teenager. Xāwuṭh sighed in response.

“Remember how Dad wouldn't relax when we were kids, until he saw us awake and running around?” He asked. Kai nodded.

“Yeah, so?”

“It's like that.” Kai frowned a bit, but nodded.

“Sorrow told me a bit about him.” The young medic replied, “I can talk to him, about his step-dad sometime, if you think it'll help.” Xāwuṭh shook his head.

“He actually goes to a therapist about it.” He winced, “Well, he _did_.” Kai nodded.

“Still, offer's there, if he ever wants to. I'm not legally qualified, but I know a lot about it.” The eldest sibling nodded.

“Thanks...” He hoped his baby brother knew just how thankful he was for helping Tua, even if he couldn't find the words to say it. The smell of fish and eggs wafted into the room, even as his siblings and their companions entered the house. They didn't bother him, letting him sit with his son as Kai replaced the teenager's bandages. When he was done, Kai hugged Xāwuṭh, and stood up to join the others in his small kitchen. It wasn't until Tua stirred, about twenty minutes later, that Xāwuṭh let out a soft breath of relief, and the tension in his body relaxed. He helped the boy sit up, and he hated how Tua's face scrunched all over with emotional turmoil. All of the things he'd said about his uncles and aunt, what he'd said to Xāwuṭh, calling him things that were more truth than not, had been deliberate stabs to guilt Xāwuṭh into letting Tua go on the fishing trip with his friends, and the words were haunting the boy, especially now that he knew why Xāwuṭh hadn't wanted him to go in the first place.

“I'm sorry...” Tua croaked, eyes watering. Xāwuṭh smiled and hugged him.

“I know, sweetheart.” He promised, “Come on, let's see if the others left us some breakfast. You can meet them properly, too.” Tua nodded, and let Xāwuṭh help him stand. He stood too close to Xāwuṭh, like he had when he first met Sorrow, and every moment around Eric, after his brother had joined them on the boat.

“He walks!” Wesley joked, smiling at the boy. Tua tried to hide behind Xāwuṭh at that, but Eric came and ushered the boy into the kitchen.

“Hi!” Neumia smiled brightly at Tua, even as the fifteen year old watched her nervously. The eight year old reached out to him. “I'm Neumia de Lacy, but you can call me Nari!” He had heard of Nari before, of course; Xāwuṭh had told Tua, and Eric, of their family the moment Tua stepped into his life.

“I'm Brian Ngata, Nari's father.” Brian said.

“Bonika de Lacy, her mother.” Bonika introduced.

“Wesley Ngata.” Wesley smiled.

“Khodī̂ Som.” Khodī̂ nodded at the teenager.

“Ki te Muri kā ‘Aukai.” Kai said, “Call me Kai.”

“Rex Tjin.” Rex nodded, “Nice to meet you.”

“Ziba Banner.” Ziba smiled.

“Andi Bannerjee.” Andi offered, raising an eyebrow.

“Ella Som.” Ella said, smirking.

“Django Whetū.” Django finished the line up.

“T-Tua Bùi...” Tua offered, at Xāwuṭh's nudge.

“Here, I saved you two plates.” Django handed them plates of breakfast, and eventually, Tua was talking with Nari and Bonika. Ella smirked at Xāwuṭh.

“So, who's the babe that managed to get into our forty year old virgin's pants long enough to make a kid?” She asked in a teasing tone. Xāwuṭh glanced at Tua, hearing the boy's fork not hit the plate again. As he thought, the kid was frozen in place.

“First, don't you _ever_ speak of his mother like that.” Xāwuṭh glared at his baby sister. “Second, I want to make it clear that if you _do_ speak like that again, I am kicking you out of my house, family or not.”

“It was just a joke, Wolf.” Ella frowned.

“A joke is funny.” Django said, “That wasn't. All you need to know is that your brother got custody three years ago.” The others looked a bit surprised at that, but Tua's small voice is what cut Xāwuṭh's heart most.

“... Mom died.” Tua said, “And my step-dad wasn't great... So Grandma found Dad and told me to go with him...”

“... I'm sorry.” Ella's apology was sincere, and Xāwuṭh only felt a small bit better about it.

“Finish eating and I'll check your head.” Kai told Tua, and the boy resumed eating.

“Wanna talk about it?” Khodī̂ asked, quiet enough that Tua wouldn't hear him. Xāwuṭh shook his head.

“We were drunk.” He replied, “We were flirting. I found out about Tua about thirteen years later, when Missus Hauiti tracked me down and told me about him, and that Moana had passed away.”

“How awful was he?” Brian asked, frowning as he watched the boy with his daughter.

“Alcoholic, liked to shake and threaten Tua, was a real bastard. Didn't hurt Tua or his mother; I would have been tracked down sooner, if that had been the case, apparently.” Xāwuṭh shrugged.

“What about his grandmother? His step-father?” Khodī̂ asked.

“Taken care of. His grandmother's safe, and his step-father fucked off somewhere.” Xāwuṭh replied, “I made sure they would be safe.” He watched as Kai took Tua into the living room again, and checked over Tua's head, Nari on their heels.

Things could have gone worse, considering this was the first formal meeting, and Xāwuṭh was thankful that his family welcomed his son into their clan with open arms.

Still, he knew the future was uncertain, but the near future would have violence and likely injuries, and he could only hope he could protect his son.

Of all the variables, that was the one most important to him.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tua's birthday is December 31, 2000. I checked the Awaken the Stars series timeline to get the aging right.


End file.
